Willy Howe (also ''Willey-Hou'') is a

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

in the

Yorkshire Wolds The Yorkshire Wolds are hills in the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in Northern England. They are the northernmost chalk hills in the UK and within lies the northernmost chalk stream in Europe, the Gypsey Race. ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, England.

History and description

Willy Howe is a large round barrow high, located between Wold Newton and Burton Fleming in the civil parish of Thwing.

Willy Howe Willy Howe (also ''Willey-Hou'') is a tumulus in the Yorkshire Wolds, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. History and description Willy Howe is a large round barrow high, located between Wold Newton, East Riding of Yorkshire, Wold Newton and ...

, PastScape : DETAIL. The mound has been recorded as being excavated several times: by Lord Londesborough in 1857;

, PastScape : MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES and by Canon

William Greenwell William Greenwell, (23 March 1820 – 27 January 1918) was an English archaeologist and Church of England priest. Early life William Greenwell was born 23 March 1820 at the estate known as Greenwell Ford near Lanchester, County Durham, Lanchest ...

in 1887. Neither found burials or grave goods; Greenwell found a feature approximating a shallow grave.

, PastScape : DESCRIPTION The structure has a central space, resulting from the 19th-century excavations, additionally an earthwork ramp created as part of Greenwell's excavations has also modified the site. Use as a

Thingstead A thing, also known as a folkmoot, assembly, tribal council, and by other names, was a governing assembly in early Germanic society, made up of the free people of the community presided over by a lawspeaker. Things took place regularly, usual ...

during the medieval period has been speculated. Willy Howe is registered on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

as a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. Its List Entry Number is 1008040.

Folklore

Thomas Wright ascribed the barrow to be the location of a folktale recorded by

William of Newburgh William of Newburgh or Newbury (, ''Wilhelmus Neubrigensis'', or ''Willelmus de Novoburgo''. 1136 – 1198), also known as William Parvus, was a 12th-century English historian and Augustinian canon of Anglo-Saxon descent from Bridlington, Eas ...

in the 12th century: the legend tells of a man returning home past the barrow at night being surprised to hear sounds of feasting, merriment and singing emanating from the mound. On approaching the mound he was offered a cup of drink from fairy-folk there but being wary of the nature of the drink offered he emptied the cup and rode off on his horse with the cup, pursued by the dwellers of the mound. According to the story the vessel was of unusual form and colour and eventually passed into the hands of

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

and later other kings. At least two other fairy tales have been ascribed to the mound, one of an immovable chest of treasure, the other of a fairy bride depositing gold for her human lover.

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

{{East Yorkshire, state=collapsed Archaeological sites in the East Riding of Yorkshire Barrows in the United Kingdom Thwing and Octon Prehistory of the East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire Wolds